Publications

Alex McKie’s never got to finish her book about British culture as she died suddenly in 2013. These edited highlights- the product of 10 years of travel to all parts of the UK- give you an insight into why she was such a respected planner. Her powers of observation and analysis and great human empathy shine through.

A research programme (with Alexandra McKie) for lastminute.com that was published as Smart strategies for a connected world (50,000 copies were printed and distributed)

The work focused on how new media changes the way people use leisure time and the extent to which this encourages greater spontaneity and creativity. The research highlighted divided attitudes among many people-excited about the possibilities (maximisers) and at the same time concerned about controlling and limiting intrusion (managers)

This was an early textbook that wrestled with the implications of the digital revolution on campaign planning. It was well received by academics and practitioners. It has also been translated into Italian and Korean.

“Everyone agrees with the principle of integrated media neutral communications. This book by some of Britain’s top account planners gives the latest thinking on how to make it happen in practice”.

Professor Patrick Barwise of London Business School

Women’s lives, culture change and advertising-Releasing the woman within (in partnership with Beth Barry and Sarah Newman at Ogilvy) was a research study on demographic, cultural and social change in women’s’ lives and its implications for advertising to women. It proposed a new way of thinking about women as audiences – what we call the “me within”- as a challenge to some of the outdated views of women among many of Ogilvy’s clients.

It was published in Atticus in 1998 and was reported in the Financial Times and even The Big Breakfast- on which I made an appearance